The Mystery of Marriage - Saint Nicolas Rotterdam

⁴ ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ὅτι ὁ ποιήσας ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν, ⁵ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ κολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν; 6 ὥστε οὐκέτι εἰσὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ σάρξ μία. ὃ οὖν ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω. – ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 19:4–6

⁴And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” – Matthew 19:4–6

Before setting a wedding date, the couple must first contact the priest of their parish. No other preparations should be made before confirming that the priest is available on the proposed day and time and that there is no ecclesiastical impediment to the marriage.

Days and periods when weddings are not permitted.

Church weddings are not celebrated:

from 12 December until Christmas
on the eve of Theophany
during Great Lent
from 1 to 15 August
on 29 August
on 14 September
during major Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God

1. Documents required in order to prepare the marriage file and request ecclesiastical permission (άδεια γάμου)

Before the priest can request ecclesiastical permission for the wedding, the following documents must be submitted.

A. Certificate of Freedom to Marry / Certificate of Celibacy (Πιστοποιητικό Αγαμίας)

Each future spouse must obtain a Certificate of Freedom to Marry from the Archdiocese or Metropolis in whose jurisdiction he or she resides. This document must not be older than six months.

For the issuance of this certificate, the following documents are required:

declaration from the competent consular authority stating that the person is not related to the future spouse and has not entered into another marriage.
valid identity card or passport.
certificate of residence in the Netherlands, indicating the total years of residence.
completed application form for the issuance of the Certificate of Freedom to Marry (see below)
a baptismal certificate or any other document that shows the religious affiliation.
a declaration stating that the future spouses are not related to each other.

Identification card or passport.
Certificate of residence in the Netherlands (indicating the total number of years of residence).
Completed application for the issuance of the Certificate of Freedom to Marry.

APPLICATION

for Certificate of Freedom to Marry
(Πιστοποιητικό Αγαμίας)

Name and Surname:

Father's name:

Mother's name:

Place of Birth:

Date of Birth:

Religion:

Nationality:

Profession:

Address:

Years of residence in The Netherlands:

B. Civil marriage

In Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, the civil marriage must take place before the religious wedding, in accordance with the law of the state.

2. Ecclesiastical permission for the wedding

Once all the required documents have been collected, the priest submits the marriage file to the competent ecclesiastical authority in order to obtain the necessary permission for the celebration of the marriage (άδεια γάμου).

Only after this ecclesiastical permission has been granted can the sacrament of marriage be celebrated.

3. Requirements concerning the best man / κουμπάρος

The best man or sponsor must be Orthodox. A person cannot serve as the best man if he is of another religion or confession, or if, although Orthodox, he has contracted only a civil marriage or has entered into a cohabitation agreement.

4. Marriage Certificate issued after the wedding

After the celebration of the sacrament, the Holy Metropolis issues the Marriage Certificate to the couple. This certificate bears the signature of the priest and the seal of the parish.

For Greek citizens, this is the only ecclesiastical marriage certificate recognised by Greek ecclesiastical, consular, and municipal authorities, since it is issued by the competent ecclesiastical authority responsible for ensuring the legitimacy of the sacrament.

5. Declaration of marriage to the Greek Consular Authority

Greek citizens who marry must declare their marriage to the nearest Greek Consular Authority within 40 days, in accordance with Law 344/1976 concerning Greek civil-status acts. For this purpose, they must present the Marriage Certificate issued by the Holy Metropolis.

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The Holy Mystery of Marriage